Sweet Serenade — Valerie Comer

A Summertime Romance

A Christian Romance Novella

River guide and canoe builder Reed Daniels stands by as his lifelong friends pair off. After all, he's waited this long for the right woman… what's a little longer? But when newcomer Carly shows up at the gang's bonfire, he's mesmerized. Could she be the answer to his prayers?

Water-sport enthusiast Carly Thorbergsen is starting over in Riverbend. Hired as a canoeing and hiking guide, she's ready to focus on work and leave the personal stuff behind. That is until the competition, Reed Daniels, offers her a ride in his cedar-strip canoe. No resisting that!

But no matter how much they have in common, Carly can't erase her past, and Reed is bound to discover the truth. When a date finds Carly and Reed running rapids on the outside of the canoe, they come face to face with the real reasons their new relationship might capsize.

Welcome to Riverbend!

1. Secretly Yours
2. Pinky Promise
3. Sweet Serenade

Riverbend, BC, is the quaint Canadian town you wish you were from, where everyone knows everyone, seasons are celebrated, and love is in the air. Look for more Riverbend Romance Novellas through 2015. Sweet Serenade is coming in July.

The Riverbend Romance Novellas are a series of contemporary Christian romance stories. These inspirational romance novellas are heart-warming shorter reads with true-to-life (but fictional) characters who face challenges in finding their one true love.

EXCERPT

Give me words, Lord.

Reed glanced at the woman in the passenger seat of his truck as they jounced up a mountain road. In the brief time he'd known Carly, he'd figured she was quiet. Introspective. He liked that. But she seemed quieter than he'd expected. Never before had he felt like he needed to be the one to carry a conversation.

“It's sure a beautiful day.” Like that. Who talked to a gorgeous woman about the weather? The great conversationalist Reed Daniels, that's who. Yeah, he was pathetic.

“Is this typical for June?”

Well, if she was going to go along with it... “We usually get a lot of rain this time of year. That and the heat get the mosquitoes hatching in droves.” Again, like she didn't know.

“At least they're not usually a problem out on the water.”

“True.” One benefit of paddling as opposed to backpacking. “There's a picnic area up a few kilometers. I figured we could have lunch there. After that it's not far to the put-in spot for the rapids.”

Carly smiled at him, her eyes gleaming, probably with curiosity about what kind of picnic a guy like him would pack. “Sounds good.”

She had the most stunning smile he'd ever seen. Wide and generous. He'd never spent any time looking at a woman's lips before, but hers deserved some consideration. He shifted in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable. Thinking about lips meant thinking about kissing. And that was crazy. They'd barely met. All his friends figured him to be the slowest mover on the planet. If they could only see inside his brain right now, they'd amend their opinion in a hurry. It was too early to fall in love, for sure, but he was definitely sliding headlong into like.

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